I seem to recreate my life every 10 to 20 years. It's that time again! I am the mother of 3 grown children. Grandmother of 1. As of January 2011 we are gluten free! In May 2011 I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Major life adjustments are now in the works. Come along for the ride!

Friday, June 29, 2012

Grandma Juice is offering you a chance to get in on her Plasma Car Giveaway!

Plasma Car
Review and Giveaway

Summer is in full swing! How are you getting the kiddos outside and away from the TV and video games?
We have the coolest way to keep Ethan outside playing and having fun! The Plasma Car is really quite an awesome outdoor ride-on toy! As you can see from the photo, it has no pedals. It runs on inertia, friction and kid power! On flat surfaces it can hold up to 220lbs! Bets on Grandpa riding it? Yeah, he totally did :)
It took a whole whopping 10 minutes to put it together and off Ethan went. He got a 'Power Ranger Red' (his words) colored Plasma Car. It's really very sturdy and rests on six wheels. He had a bit of a learning curve to get over at first trying to get the hang of turning the wheel to make it go rather than pedaling, like you would with a bike. After about 3 minutes, he was not only going forward he had it going backwards as well.
Most of the kids on our block were soon lined up waiting to take their turn on the new Plasma Car. Seems to be pretty popular. I would say a good age would be 4(ish) to start learning to ride the Plasma Car. And, obviously great fun for the adults as well! We gave it 2 thumbs up for super fun, outdoor play!
To learn more about the Plasma Car, like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter
You can even subscribe to them on You Tube!

Summer is Here! Vacations, day tips and fun travels are quickly approaching. Keep your family safe with important vehicle safety:
Illustration by CustomizedStickers
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Have you ever wished that money would just grow on trees? Wouldn't it be nice to walk out in your backyard and just pick some freshly ripened dollar bills? Well, we can't make that happen, but we can help you win a real life Money Tree!
Nature Perfect is a California business: America's favorite lucky bamboo wedding favor plant gift supplier.

About the Money Tree

This Braided Money Tree is a Traditional symbol of good fortune and communicates your feelings in a time-honored way. Easy to grow in bright light, this bonsai is a good choice for novice growers.

Your Prize

One winner will be given the opportunity to pick their prize from this album. You even get to pick your pot! How's that for options?!?

Bonus Winner

Once we reach 500 entries, Nature Perfect has offered to let us pick not ONE but TWO winners! Now that makes it even more fun!
Which plant is your favorite? We can't wait to hear from you.

How to Win

Just hop over to each of the great blogs listed on the form below. Leave a "real" comment on each post and then click enter! The more comments you make, the more chances you have to win this great plant!
US winner only; Giveaway ends July 3 12:01 am.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you post links on Reddit, my advice is DON'T. The people who run the site and the different subreddits are all insane. Apparently we are all part of some money making spam conspiracy. When the reality is that I like to cook and I like to share my friend's recipes. I will continue to cook but will no longer share anything on Reddit.

*UPDATE(2): This is endless. Every few pages I find a new connection to the ring. At this point I am inclined to think it is some sort of work-at-home and paid to game Reddit. Some accounts are active Reddit users while maintaining this spam. I have seen a couple of Reddit Gold users even. Other users seem to have abandoned or are not active much with the spam. I found activity on StumbleUpon, as mentioned above, but I have not been able to search for other online connections - I have been consumed with this seemingly endless rabbit hole of soccer-moms and the unemployed confined to their basements. (The only difference between the latter and me - I'm not getting paid to use Reddit.) At this point I think it is time to search for the service they are subscribed to. There is such a large number involved on Reddit, I could continually search for and find them until I am old and grey.

*UPDATE(3): That was easy! The website http://moneysavvymichelle.com is the ringleader. If you click through it takes you to the page with all of the payment options and other information.

Are you off your fucking meds? Those are personal blogs, not part of some money-making scheme. You know how I know this? 1) Many of these blogs do not even have ads. And if they did, they would only earn around $10.00/1000 site hits. Hardly a money-making scheme. 2) You tried to get my girlfriend banned because she posted a link to her blog to /r/recipes (the link contained a full recipe, by the way). As far as I know, she is not a scam artist, just someone who loves to bake.

You are a vile pestilence to reddit. Continue to harass us and I will have you banned.

The webpage linked clearly shows Michelle is charging people to join a "service" to promote blogs by gaming social media. What she is doing, and all those involved, is against Reddit's TOS.

If you girlfriend was a part of that, she deserves to be banned. If it was a mistake, I apologize, but this comment is not the way to rectify the situation.

You are a vile pestilence to reddit.

I am a vile pestilence to Reddit because I turned in a spam-ring?

Continue to harass us and I will have you banned.

Good luck with that.

*EDIT: If your girlfriend is an innocent in this, her situation is a perfect example of why blog-rings are harmful. Michelle's ring of spam harms the credibility of bloggers posting to Reddit. Clearly this Michelle character is shady and her stink rubs off on all who come in contact with her. There is a link between her and all of those bloggers. There is a pattern of up-voting and commenting on each others posts to increase their visibility. This is her business model. She gets bloggers to pay her to join this ring and then gets them to do all of the work. Every name on that list has some connection to this ring and the taint left by Michelle.

The last thing Reddit needs is a descent into the mire that plagued Digg (hence my name, by the way). People gaming the system hurts the legitimacy of the system and those within the system. If people like Michelle did not game the system users, like your girlfriend, if she is not a part of the ring, would have a better experience.

I am responsible for the food preparation in my household. I am not a trained cook and I know my food is mediocre at best. Baking is magic to me. I came looking for ways to improve the meals I feed my family and would benefit greatly from passionate cooks. Any benefit that comes from Reddit is diminished by illegitimate users with no care for food, but seek only to promote their blogs through deceit.

Spammers are the pestilence. I am simply a by product of said disease, like white blood cells. That will make me a sack of pus eventually, but I am alright with that.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Enjoy Life Foods is one of my favorite gluten free companies. I feel honored to be chosen to receive and review their products. Recently Enjoy Life Foods sent me their Chewy Bars and I am so glad that they did! You know me, I am ALL about the snacks! I am thrilled to have another tasty addition to my snack pantry and tell you all about it!

If you have been watching the news lately then you know that it is fire season in South Dakota and around the country. Right now we have two fires burning, Crow Peak Fire and the Dakota Fire. The smoke was pretty thick in town yesterday and I was pretty wheezy because of it.

Did you watch the Wives last night? If you did then you know that Tamra won a 1 carat diamond at Heather's party. Tamara is having a jeweler place the diamond into a ring setting and giving it away on Wines By Wives.com!

Grandma Juice and I were chatting while watching the Real Housewives of Orange County. Did you watch? That was a pretty intense finale! You can check out our chat below! It's a PG13 chat because there are a few swears!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I don't remember where I first had these, but they are so addicting and so easy to make!

1 Pkg Bacon

1 Pkg Li'l Smokies

1/2 C Brown Sugar

Cut bacon to fit around sausages. Wrap sausages in bacon and secure with toothpick. Once all of the sausages are wrapped toss them in a bowl with the brown sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Travelers—particularly those who venture out after sunset on unfamiliar pathways—beware of the will o’ the wisps.

It is said—though by whom is a bit of a mystery—that on certain days for certain travelers in certain parts of the world, little lights dance on the horizon, whispering tempting invitations… pledging the answers to lifelong questions, the realization of dreams, a key to secret treasures—a change of fate.

Charmed and curious, unsuspecting travelers follow the floating lights, mesmerized by their whispers, their promises. Yet no matter how long or how fervently they follow, they never quite touch the beautiful beacons whose flickering lights eventually fade and disappear… leaving the inquisitors, the dreamers and the treasure seekers lost… and alone.

One of our favorite snacks is spinach dip and it was a loss that we mourned deeply when we went gluten free since we could no longer use the Knorr Vegetable Dip Mix to make it. Since then I have been experimenting with it and I finally found the recipe. This is so good that you will NEVER know that it's gluten free!

Mix together seasonings, mayo, sour cream and bouillon. Squeeze water from spinach and add to sour cream mixture. Add in green onions and water chestnuts and mix until combined. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!

If you are on the east coast then the Real Housewives of Orange County marathon has already started! Grandma Juice and I CANNOT wait until starts in our time zones! We will be drinking a little Wines by Wives, and eating some goodies that we have cooked up! To make it easier we have prepared a Tweet Grid for you to join us! Hope to see you there! We will be tweeting all day!

Monday, June 25, 2012

We are big pizza fans here at casa Kids are grown. Unfortunately there are only 2 places in town that make a gluten free pizza and both are pretty spendy so we tend to make our own. This one was so delicious that we will definitely be making it again soon!

Chop chicken breast into bite size pieces and saute in butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll out dough into a circle and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Spread pizza crust with garlic olive oil mixture. Spread chicken on top of oil. Spread onion slices and then cover with Mozzarella. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Friday was my first time joining the Biannual Blogathon Bash. I had set some goals for myself and I actually accomplished them all! Woohoo! Yay, Me!

I am sure you are wondering what I did with all this time spent in front of the computer. Well, I cleaned up my sidebar. I learned how to create a Favicon. I learned about some really cool tools that I will be using for my blog. I learned how to use Twitter more effectively. I met some incredible bloggers. I got a bunch of reviews done and new giveaways posted. All in all I am pretty proud of myself!

Thank you, Kathleen owner of Callista's Ramblings. Kathleen organized the whole shebang and did a pretty damn good job of it too! I can't wait for the next one!

The right organizing system will fit the way a great pair of shoes does.

Would you be comfortable wearing shoes that weresized and designed for your neighbor?

Of course you wouldn't.

Your house can be comfortable, andefficient.

HouseOrganized will you show you how; whether you need a Professional Organizer to come to your home (local homes in Florida) or if you just need tips or Coaching everything can be found on their amazing website!

Meet Captain McFinn and Friends, an original, innovative, and educational book series designed to promote kindness and friendship for children ages 4-8. Children, parents, teachers, school administrators, and camp staff will all enjoy and benefit from this collection of books and activities which includes 3 hard and soft cover books, an activity book, sing-a-long music CD composed by award-winning songwriter Terry Sampson, and educational materials for teachers, parents and the classroom. eBooks for NOOK, iBook, Kindle and mobile and tablet applications for Android and Apple’s iOS platforms will also be available for back-to-school.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Have you heard of a spork? It's a combination of a spoon and a fork. How about a Splayd? It's a combination of a spoon, fork AND a knife! Crazy, huh? I was intrigued to say the least when I first heard about them! A little about Splayd:

Ryan and I were watching The Chew on Friday. They prepared a Cheese and Pepperoni Pie. I turned to Ryan and said, "I bet we could make that!". Of course when I made it I totally spaced out on the pepperoni so I am calling it a Beef & Broccoli Pie. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Let me start off by saying how happy I am that your husband will never be a free man again. But I am even more disgusted by your behavior. How dare you ignore the screams of those boys. How dare you stand by a man who has harmed helpless children. I do not believe for one minute that you did not know what was going on in that basement. What's even worse is that you ignored the screams of a boy you call a son. I hope charges are brought against you as well. You deserve to be in prison as much as your sick, perverted husband. My wish for you is that your sleep is interrupted by echoes of the screams of those boys.

Are you addicted to Real Housewives of Orange County? Grandma Juice and I are so addicted to it that we will be tweeting during the Marathon and Season Finale on Tuesday! While we are tweeting we will be enjoying some libations from Wines By Wives! What could better than a little wine while watching the wives? I will also be munching on some yummy hors d'oeuvres and posting the recipes. We hope you will join us! You can follow along on this tweet grid.

Friday, June 22, 2012

CeliAct complements the gluten free diet to provide a complete nutritional solution for people with celiac disease. CeliAct provides your body with nutrients and compounds to minimize the risk of the complications that people with celiac disease suffer from the most.
Did you know that simply implementing a gluten free diet is not enough for people with Celiac? There have been a number of recent studies that show those of us with Celiac have a significantly higher need for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Tungsten World specializes in Tungsten Wedding Rings as well as watches, bracelets and other jewelry. I actually prefer tungsten because my daughter has a nickel allergy. Tungsten is one of the few metals she is able to wear. Tungsten Forever is a wonderful line of rings for Dads, Grands and Grooms.

Tungsten World is running a Pinterest Contest! Enter for a chance to win a $150 Tungsten World gift card and other great prizes. Here is what you need to do to enter:

Winners will be decided by the most comments, likes and repins. 1st place winner wins a $150 Tungsten World Gift Card. 2nd place winner wins a $50 Tungsten World Gift Card. 3rd Place winner wins a Tungsten Heart Pendant. Winners will be announced June 30, 2012. All pins that receive 15 or more repins will automatically win a Tungsten Heart Pendant.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post although all thoughts are my own.

One of the challenges in the Blogathon is to create a photo collage using Pic Monkey. This is the coolest program and now that I have found it, I will definitely be using it more! Here is my first attempt. Let me know what you think!

I used to go to girl scout camp in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Every summer my parents would pick me up from camp and we would head to Zern's a HUGE Amish run flea market and one of my favorite places to go. We would eat Shoofly pie and pickled watermelon rind. It was my favorite day of the year. I think that's why I love Beverly Lewis' books so much. They remind me of perfect summer days in Lancaster County.

This weekend (which begins today) I will be participating in the Biannual Blogathon Bash. What does this mean? I will be working on my blog almost non-stop for the next 3 days! I say almost because I will most definitely be taking breaks for food, bathroom and I have to run to the courthouse to get my new car tags.

I see that horrified look! No, there will not be 142 million blog posts. Sure, there will definitely be quite a few as I take part in some blog challenges, but I will also be working on my blog. I will be changing some things around and cleaning things up.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Breakaway Bakery, which makes a delicious array of certified organic baked goods and breads containing NO gluten, NO wheat, NO dairy, NO casein, peanuts, soy or treenuts (vegan options available), is now available for purchase online!

As absolutely delectable as desserts come, Breakaway Bakery products are made from only organic whole grain brown rice – no flour blends, contain 400% less starch than most gluten-free products, are organic fruit infused, and free of all gums, trans fat and preservatives.

If you live in Los Angeles you can visit the store located at 5624 W Pico Blvd.

I am really excited that you can order online and hope to order soon. Once I do, you can be sure I will let you know how wonderful the goodies are! Let me know if you try it first!

One of my favorite things to do is searches on Google for gluten free foods. One day while I was searching I came across a company called Coconut Secret. Coconut Secret offers products that are gluten free, soy free and low-glycemic. A little about Coconut Secret:

The Fourth of July has always been special to me. I think it might be my favorite holiday. I love the display of patriotism. I love the fireworks. I love the food and time with family and friends. It's just a great day!

July is National Hot Dog Month and I have some fun facts and recipes for your from French's Mustard!

Did you know that hot dogs AND mustard were first introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair? Hot dogs and baseball go together and French's Mustard and in 1915 French's made baseball a part of it's heritage by incorporating the red pennant into their logo.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

I have arthritis in my spine (among other places). The arthritis is so bad that my spine is starting to twist into odd shapes. Needless to say I am in a lot of pain and am always looking for something to help. In addition to the host of pain medications that I take I also use topical gels, creams and ointments to help relieve the muscle pain. I have tried a LOT! Every time I hear about something new I give it a try.